Thumbs up, thumbs down

Published 5:05 pm, Monday, March 17, 2014

Thumbs up to Greenwich resident Wayne Keeney, who has been appointed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to be a family support magistrate after serving as a U.S. Marine, a New York police officer and a defense attorney in Connecticut. Keeney recognizes that he has a unique perspective for the position. "Every person that I have had to deal with as a police officer, as a prosecutor and defense attorney were in their situation as a result of poor parenting," he said. "This is an opportunity to do early intervention with that problem." We may not agree with the concept that parents are always to blame, but we admire Keeney's tough-but-fair approach. His work will change, and likely be even more challenging.

Thumbs down to the news that soil remediation at Greenwich High School will likely take four years instead of the anticipated two years. Public Works officials were hopeful that work would begin this summer, but the state has yet to approve plans for removal of PCBs. Arsenic removal on the south side of the site is expected to begin next week. While the delay is disappointing, it does sound as though the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is simply being cautious.

Thumbs down to Greenwich resident Steven A. Cohen changing the name of his SAC Capital Advisors to Point72 Asset Management. Sure, such an identity crisis is to be expected in the wake of a string of allegations of insider trading. Still, it's hard to listen to the explanation that the makeover is designed to "reflect our heritage." Exactly what heritage is that?

Thumbs up to Voice of the Faithful and Bridgeport Bishop Frank Caggiano for holding a measured meeting that offered the promise of positive forward movement. Having been banned from gathering on diocesan property under Caggiono's predecessor, the VOTF crowd appeared to keep an open mind, even on issues in which Caggiano acknowledged church reform was unlikely. Group members also resisted raising questions related to the sexual abuse scandal that inspired their origins. More challenging meetings are surely in store, but as Caggiano acknowledged, this was just the beginning of the conversation.

Thumbs down to e-cigarettes and thumbs up to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for his proposal to ban sales to minors. "What I'm proposing is to strengthen Connecticut's tobacco laws and keep tobacco out of the hands of young people," the governor said at a news conference at the Hartford Boys and Girls Club. The devices -- e-cigs -- heat a flavored nicotine liquid to create a vapor that's similar to smoke. Though they're marketed in some instances as a way to quit smoking, critics say because of the varied flavors that are offered and because some celebrities have adopted the e-cig, they make smoking appear attractive to young people. Malloy is doing the right thing by cracking down on sales to minors.